I met my CT outside of the classroom, where he was standing and monitoring the hallway. Since it was right after lunch, he usually gave students a five-minute window at the beginning of class to use the lavatories or to go to their lockers. When we walked into the classroom, some students were already at their desks with their materials open while other students were socializing around the room. I noticed that today’s objective was posted on the whiteboard along with the homework assignment for tonight and the agenda for today. Also posted up on the smartboard was a “warm-up” assignment that was a review of the previous lesson. Once the students saw that my CT had entered the classroom, they took their seats and my CT asked them if they had their planners out and noticed what was written on the board. As the students copied down the homework assignment and worked on the warm-up, my CT walked around the room to check homework and attendance. After he had finished checking homework, he went over the warm-up activity and called on students to give answers. Because this class has many students with IEPs, there was a special education teacher (who actually happened to be a special ed sub today) in the class who told me that my CT was a really great role model because not many teachers keep students busy with a warm up activity while they check homework.
Reflection
By laying out the goals and plan for the day gives students the opportunity to know exactly what to expect each day, and that’s the main reason why my CT does that. Since the schedule is block periods, the class is really long and students easily get restless, but by having the agenda up on the board, I think it helps ease the length and gives students a plan that they can follow and can anticipate what will happen during the class time. This is a good method that I would like to use as well in my classroom. Another technique that my CT uses to start class off is the use of a warm up activity. While he went around checking homework, he was able to keep students engaged instead of having them sit and waste time. He demonstrated a great way to multitask and used class time appropriately. The start of class provides the pace for the rest of the class, and my CT has shown me some great ways to begin class and get students engaged, and keep them engaged.
I met my CT outside of the classroom, where he was standing and monitoring the hallway. Since it was right after lunch, he usually gave students a five-minute window at the beginning of class to use the lavatories or to go to their lockers. When we walked into the classroom, some students were already at their desks with their materials open while other students were socializing around the room. I noticed that today’s objective was posted on the whiteboard along with the homework assignment for tonight and the agenda for today. Also posted up on the smartboard was a “warm-up” assignment that was a review of the previous lesson. Once the students saw that my CT had entered the classroom, they took their seats and my CT asked them if they had their planners out and noticed what was written on the board. As the students copied down the homework assignment and worked on the warm-up, my CT walked around the room to check homework and attendance. After he had finished checking homework, he went over the warm-up activity and called on students to give answers. Because this class has many students with IEPs, there was a special education teacher (who actually happened to be a special ed sub today) in the class who told me that my CT was a really great role model because not many teachers keep students busy with a warm up activity while they check homework.
Reflection
By laying out the goals and plan for the day gives students the opportunity to know exactly what to expect each day, and that’s the main reason why my CT does that. Since the schedule is block periods, the class is really long and students easily get restless, but by having the agenda up on the board, I think it helps ease the length and gives students a plan that they can follow and can anticipate what will happen during the class time. This is a good method that I would like to use as well in my classroom. Another technique that my CT uses to start class off is the use of a warm up activity. While he went around checking homework, he was able to keep students engaged instead of having them sit and waste time. He demonstrated a great way to multitask and used class time appropriately. The start of class provides the pace for the rest of the class, and my CT has shown me some great ways to begin class and get students engaged, and keep them engaged.